12/9/13

New York Citys War On Artists

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New York Citys War On Artists

By Victoria Bekiempis / December 09 2013 7:41 AM

ArecentcourtrulingcouldmakeitimpossibleforstreetvendorstoselltheirworkinNewYorkand acrossthenation.LBHPhoto/Alamy

RobertLedermanhasbeenarrested41timesforsellinghiswatercolors.Thefirsttimehewas collared,inthewinterof1984,hehadjustbrokenupwithhiswifeandwassleepingina cardboardboxinNewYorkCitysEastVillage.Iwaslivingfromsellingmywork,Lederman tellsNewsweek. Oneday,hewassittingonhisleatherportfolio,inwhichhundredsofpaintingsandprints werestored,whenanofficerapproachedhimandaskedforID.TheofficerarrestedLederman onunlicensedgeneralvendingchargesandconfiscatedhisportfolio,hesays.Thechargeswere

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New York Citys War On Artists

dismissed,andhemanagedtogethisworkback,buttheincidentstartedaprotractedgameof catandmousewiththecops.IfIsawthepolicecoming,Idquicklypackupmystuffandrun forit,saysLederman,whoat5feet,11inchesand140pounds,sportingasaltandpepper beard,highlytarnishedwireframeglassesandaheadofunrulybrowncurls,looksmorelikea mellowandslightlymalnourishedpeacenikthanarelentlessactivist. In1993,heformedArtistsResponseToIllegalStateTactics(A.R.T.I.S.T.)andstartedbattling thecityincourtovereveryarrest,summonsandattemptedregulationofthecitysstreet creatives.Thecourtsrepeatedlysidedwithhim,andartistsacrossthecountryusedhis victoriesasprecedentwhentheircitiestriedtorestrainthem. ButLedermansluckchangedinSeptember2013,whenafederalcourtuphelda2010New YorkCityrulelimitingthenumberofartistvendorsinthecitysmostpopularpublicspaces CentralPark,UnionSquarePark,BatteryPark,andtheHighLine. Ledermansaystheseregulationsmakeitverydifficultforthemtoselltheirart.Healso claimsartistsgettreateddifferentlyfrombuskers,whohavefargreaterleewayintermsof wheretheycanperform.Whencontestingtheseissuesincourt,Ledermanandhislawyerhave arguedthattheyviolateFirstAmendmentprotectionsoffreeexpressionaswellasFourteenth Amendmentguaranteesofequalprotectionunderthelaw. ThoughtheU.S.SecondCircuitCourtofAppealsagreedthatartsoldinpublicdidhavefull FirstAmendmentprotection,itsaidthecityhadtherighttoimposereasonablecontent neutralrestrictionsonthetime,place,ormannerofprotectedspeech. LedermanalsocontendsthattheSecondCircuitoverlookedantiartistanimosityamongcity officials,fromformermayorRudyGiulianitooutgoingmayorMichaelBloombergtothe DepartmentofParksandRecreationandthathehasproofofthisbias.Therub,though,is thattheSecondCircuitshotdownLedermanspetitiontodeposeBloombergandothers, rulingthatgovernmentalofficialsshouldbeprotectedfromdepositionsunlessitsan exceptionalcircumstance. StreetartistsnationwidefearothercitieswillfollowNewYorksleadthatmunicipalities willfeelemboldenedbytheSecondCircuitsopinion.Assuch,artistsacrossthecountry believemuchisatstakehere,inongoingbattlestocreateandselltheirwaresfreely.Arecent rulinginVeniceBeach,Calif.,forexample,upheldthecitysrighttoissuepermitsviaalottery system.InSanFrancisco,artistadvocatesarefightingapermittingsysteminwhichapplicants
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New York Citys War On Artists

mustbescreenedtoprovetheyproducetheirownartworkinordertocontendforasmall numberofapprovedvendingspots.InSt.Augustine,Fla.,artistssaythatrecentcity ordinancesbarthemfromtheoverwhelmingmajorityofthehistoricdistrict,suchthatthey couldfacearrestforpaintingordrawingregardlessofwhethertheyresellingtheirwork.A nationalstreetartistandbuskeradvocacyorganizationsaysitgetsaroundonereportmonthly fromastreetcreativewhowashassledorarrestedbypolice;thegroupworriesthata Ledermanlosswouldmean,atleastintheshortterm,increasedrepression. Thisisnotgoodforcreativity,saysMichaelAddario,anartistactivistinSanFrancisco,of theruling.Rightnow,wereonadownwardspiral. LedermanandhislawyerwillattempttogettheU.S.SupremeCourttoheartheircaseand, withfinancialsupportfromartistsacrosstheU.S.,areworkingtosubmittheirappealbythe December24petitiondeadline.Theywilllikelyhavetoprovethattheresconflictbetweenthe SecondCircuitsdecisionandothercircuitcourtsthatheardsimilarcasesorthatthepanel didntadequatelyconsideralltheevidence,includingallegedantiartisthenceanti expressionanimus,legalexpertstellNewsweek. Andthereisafairamountofevidencesupportingclaimsofanimosityoratleastdisdainfor artistvendors,startingwhenGiulianibecamemayorin1994. TheNYPDincreasinglyhandcuffedartistvendorsatGiulianisbehest.Hisadministrationalso calledforartiststohavevendinglicensesandwassoincensedattheSecondCircuitFederal Appealscourtstrikingdowntherulethatheappealedin1997totheU.S.SupremeCourt, whichrefusedtohearthecase.Then,hisadministrationinstitutedapermittingsystemin whichartistvendorshadtohaveapermittosetupinparkswhichwasalsonixedin2001. LedermanwasarrestedcontinuouslypromptingFrankSerpico,therenownedNYPD whistleblower,todescribeitasretaliatoryharassmentina2000VillageVoiceeditorial.In Serpicosopinion,GiulianiandBloombergspushtocontrolwhereartistssetupstemfrom theireffortstopleasebusinessesandisinkeepingwiththeireffortstoprivatizepublicspaces. Bloombergspeopleseemtothinkstreetartistsposeaneconomicthreat.FormerParks commissionerAdrianBeneperepeatedlycomplainedthatartistvendorsdidntpayfeesor taxes.InadditiontotargetingtheNewYorkCitydailynewspaperseditorialboardsto proposemeetingsontherules,cityofficialsplannedonaskingnotablesfromBetteMidlerto BillMoyerstoCarolineKennedytopenopedsonthetopic,accordingtoemailsobtainedby
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New York Citys War On Artists

Newsweek.ADepartmentspokeswomanalsopitchedanunconventionalideatoBenepein anemail:TheywantedtofindaDailyNewsorNewYorkPostreportertositwithan expressivemattervendorforadaytoobservefirsthandonewhosellsmassproducedstuffto touristsandseehowmuchdotheymake?Howdotheykeeptabsonthetaxes?...Howmany ofthemdoweneed? Theoutgoingmayorsofficedisputesthathisadministrationworkedagainsttheseartists.No cityinthecountryhasdonemoretosupporttheartsandchampionpublicartprojects thanNewYorkunderMayorBloomberg,mayoralspokesmanFrankBarrywritesinanemail toNewsweek. NewYorkCitysLawDepartmentmaintainsthatitspoliciesareforpublicsafety,andremains confidentthatitwillwininahighercourt.BoththeDistrictCourtandtheSecondCircuit CourtofAppealshaveagreedthatthecitysregulationsreflectacarefulbalancebetweenthe rightsofFirstAmendmentvendorsandthecitysvalidinterestinensuringthatparkscanbe enjoyedbythepublic,aspokespersontoldNewsweekinanemail.Therulingsspeakfor themselves. RepresentativesforincomingmayorBillDeBlasiohavenotrepliedtorequestsforcomment onhispositionontheissue. KenPaulson,deanoftheCollegeofMassCommunicationatMiddleTennesseeState UniversityanddirectoroftheFirstAmendmentCenter,saysmunicipalitiesdohavetheright toaddresssocietysneedssuchasforclearsidewalksandcansimultaneouslypreserve speechwithsomenarrowlytailoredlimits. Weallhavearighttomarchdownthestreetandprotest,heexplains,Wedontnecessarily havearighttodoitonBroadwayathighnoonbecauseofthetrafficramifications. HethinkstheSecondCircuitwaswronginagreeingwiththecitythattheregulationsare narrowlytailored.Ifyouaretryingtocommunicateideastopeople,whetheroncanvasoron asoapbox,youneedtogotothemostheavilyusedareas,hesays.Bylimitingthesaleand exhibitionofartintheselocations,theyrelargelynegatingtheimpactofspeech. ItslikesayingtosomebodyYes,youcanexpressyourviewontheObamaadministration, butonlyawayfromotherpeople.

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